There’s a colorful new piece in my trail-memento shadow box: the patch noting completion of the New Hampshire Rail Trails Challenge. Over the past few years I’ve walked, and occasionally biked, on every rail trail in the state. That’s hundreds of miles, especially considering that I usually hike alone and don’t have a shuttle to get me back to my starting point. I’ve seen everything coming and going.

I loved this project. It’s open to anyone, with details available at nhrtc.org. Check it out, and you’re bound to discover trails you never knew about. Even a single region’s trails could keep a walker busy all year.

This is the project that got me involved with the New Hampshire Rail Trail Coalition. I’ve had the privilege of serving on the NHRTC board for three years now. I’ll be stepping down soon, after meeting some fine people and getting an education in trail development and maintenance. And it all started with a list of trails and the dangerous thought “hmmm…I could do that.”

Favorites

Presidential Rail Trail, Gorham-Whitefield. I love this one for its views in Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge, not to mention the views of the Presidential Range and Cherry Mountain. This is far from local for me, but I’ve found ways to get up there every year. Maybe I’d get bored with it if I saw it more often. Hmmmm…no. I’d love it anyway.

Nashua River Rail Trail. This is my home trail, so to speak. I know every bit of it from its mile in Nashua, New Hampshire all the way to its southern end in Ayer, Massachusetts. I first rode it the week of its dedication as a rail trail a couple of decades ago. I must have been there upwards of 200 times since then, observing every season’s changes. It’s justifiably popular. The pavement has its figurative ups and downs, but the recent reconstruction on some Massachusetts segments will keep this trail going for many years to come. And hooray for the city of Nashua, which now keeps the big parking lot at the north end of the trail on Gilson Road plowed in winter.

Rockingham Recreational Trail, Manchester-Newfields. The section heading east from Lake Massabesic at the Manchester/Auburn line is a favorite of mine for a quick two or three midday miles after appointments in Manchester. I avoid it during mud season, but the rest of the year makes up for that. The trail is well-traveled near the lake and becomes much quieter the further east I go. It’s close to Route 101, but the trees lining the trail muffle much of the traffic noise.

One-offs

These are a few of the trails I visited only once. Perhaps I’ll be able to return to them another time.

Lilac City Greenway, Rochester. A business trip to Rochester a couple of years ago gave me a chance to walk along this greenway alongside busy Route 125. In town, it looks like a sidewalk rather than an abandoned rail line. Its landscaping and public art make it a cheery feature.

Sugar River Rail Trail, Newport. This one’s up in Sullivan County, another out-of-the-way place for me. I treasure the memory of the day I spent walking nine-plus miles on this little gem. It’s open to OHRVs, which sometimes creates issues for slow trail users like me, but there were no problems during my midweek visit. It’s a shady trail with several interesting bridges along the way. I benefited from a very reasonably-priced shuttle ride on a Southwestern Community Services bus between Newport and Claremont.

Cotton Valley Rail Trail, Wolfeboro-Wakefield. I visited this one the day a local rail car club had an open house. The unique trail has rails in place for little rail motor cars – interesting in themselves – with the hardpack walking/biking path between the rails.

I found hiker-friendly towns that I never would have visited if I hadn’t been on a mission to explore every trail. When echoes of Covid restrictions were still in the air, I stopped in Lisbon on the Ammonoosuc trail and found cheerful hospitality. While heading for the Warren rail trail, a driver from a hostel catering to Appalachian Trail hikers agreed to give me a shuttle ride that saved me two hours of walking. (Best five bucks I spent all that week.) The folks at the general store in Danbury along the Northern Rail Trail took one look at my sweaty face, halfway through a 15-mile day, and showed me first to the restroom and then to the cold drinks. I came across such kindnesses all over the state.

You can search this blog for many rail trail posts I made during the Challenge. I hope you’ll take the Challenge yourself. If that’s too big a project to tackle, explore one or two of the trails near you. May your adventures be as rewarding as mine.

All photos by Ellen Kolb.